York roundabout set to open Thursday

HELENA – Motorists can expect to use a new roundabout at the York Road and Lake Helena Drive intersection this week.

As of right now, South Lake Helena Drive between York Road and Canyon Ferry Road is closed, but according to Buster Bullock, the Owner of Buster Contracting, the roundabout should be completely open with minimal delays on Thursday.

Crews are in the process of paving and chipping the last leg, which is Lake Helena South, and will begin painting it Thursday.

“There’s a few things that we are in time constraints about as far as specs go. As far as the function of it, by Thursday it should be ready to rumble,” says Bullock.

Once the paving is done on the southern section of Lake Helena Drive, the temporary detour around the intersection will be removed and traffic will begin using the full roundabout.

Although the roundabout will be open in all directors come Thursday, crews will still need to finish up a few things like lighting, landscaping, and painting which might cause minimal delays.

According to the Montana Department of Transportation, the project will improve the safety and operations of the intersection.

MDT says the majority of crashes occurring at the intersection were the result of drivers failing to yield and causing a right-impact collision. The new roundabout will be replacing the two way stop that was previously at the intersection. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Federal Highway Administration show that roundabouts typically reduce over all collisions, injury, fatality, and pedestrian collisions.

If you would like to find out more information about the project you can do so by clicking here.